These Pictures Show How Shockingly Good Bionics In Sports Are Now

Saturday

Aug 9, 2014 at 3:26 PM

Leslie Baehr

Prosthetic limbs have been around for centuries, but the prosthetics of today don't look like those from your grandfather's day.

These days limbs can be bionic, almost seamlessly blending in with their wearer in form and function. Limbs can incorporate electronic components that allow the limb to respond to their wearers similar to a biological limb. They can be shaped for different purposes or customized to their wearer's specifications.

It is enough of a task to make artificial legs that can walk naturally or arms that can grasp, but what happens when their wearer wants those limbs to be able to swim, climb, dance, or surf?

We sought out some of today's most amazing athletes who are pushing the idea of what it means to mix the biological with the technological and take their sports to new limits.

Some people have become famous for taking prosthetics to the next level. In 1996, Aimee Mullins was the first amputee to compete on an NCAA track team, setting multiple world records.

Source: ABC

Running prosthetics, like the ones Mullins used and the ones seen below, take the shape of a cheetah leg. They have no heel and can store and release energy like a spring. But for other athletes, it is not always about putting one foot in front of the other ...

Source: The New York Times, The Atlantic

... at least not in the way you'd think.

Here, Amy Purdy of the U.S. Paralympic snowboard team changes out her everyday prosthetic legs for her snowboarding ones.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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